Relation between hemoglobin AI and determinations of glucose in diabetics treated with and without insulin

The concentration in blood of hemoglobin AI is known to correlate well with glucose regulation if blood and urinary glucose values are carefully documented over several weeks. A slight increase of HbAI with age was found in 94 healthy subjects. In 41 adult diabetics treated with sulfonylurea drugs or diet alone, good correlations were obtained between HbAI and single random measurements of morning blood glucose (r = 0.69) and log urinary glucose/24h (r = 0.79) whereas in 47 adult patients with insulin-treated diabetes the corresponding correlation coefficients were only 0.42 and 0.49, respectively. In 29 insulin-treated children the HbAI-values were not correlated with single morning blood glucose determinations (r = 0.16 n.s.) but a correlation coefficient of 0.83 was found between HbAI and an index for regular testing of urinary glucose (Clinitest) at home. For the long-term monitoring of insulin-treated diabetics, single random determinations of blood and urinary glucose may often provide misleading information and particularly in these patients, routine determinations of HbAI should be of value.